Truck sports rack

ABSTRACT

Provided is a sports rack configured to be mounted on a truck bed. The truck bed may have a front wall, a rear tail gate and a pair of elongate side walls extending therebetween. Each one of the side walls may have a bed rail. The sports rack comprises a front frame member, a rear frame member and a plurality of channel lengths. The front frame member is disposed adjacent the front wall and extends between the side walls. The rear frame member is disposed over the rear tail gate and also extends between the side walls. The plurality of channel lengths extends horizontally between the front and rear frame members. Each of the front and rear frame members comprises a pair of upright end plates that may be used to mount the sports rack on the bed rails.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/770,214 entitled TRUCK SPORTS RACK filed Feb. 2, 2004, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,198,185, the entirety of the disclosures of which areexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a truck sports rack and,more particularly, to a truck sports rack that can be dissembled inpieces for shipment and quickly reassembled for such that it may bemounted on a truck.

Various types of truck racks have been developed for protecting goods orcargo carried on a truck bed of a truck. Conventional truck racks areeither permanently mounted on a bed rail of a pickup truck or removablymounted on the truck using complex mounting hardware. For example, inpublished U.S. patent application No. 2003/0164621, U.S. Pat. No.6,347,731, U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,782, racks disclosed therein each requirespecialized mounting mechanisms that comprise several elements formounting the rack to the bed rail of a pickup truck. Unfortunately, noneof these racks are easily mountable due to the relatively large numberof mounting components and the large number of fasteners to interconnectsuch mounting components. In addition, most of these racks areconstructed of relatively heavy bar, tubing or frame members whichincreases the difficulty in mounting and demounting the rack from thetruck. Furthermore, the overall weight of such racks may have an adverseeffect on handling of the truck on which it is mounted.

In addition, many prior art truck racks are provided as a unitarystructure of welded construction. Such truck racks suffer from severaldeficiencies that detract from their overall utility. For example, truckracks that are provided as a welded construction result in a relativelylarge structure. Unfortunately, such truck racks must be provided in arelatively large variety of sizes in order to accommodate the widevariety of truck bed geometries that are available from the varioustruck manufacturers. In addition, the cost of shipping such truck racksfrom the manufacturer to retailers is relatively high due to thebulkiness of such truck racks. Furthermore, the cost of storing thetruck racks and displaying the truck racks is also relatively large dueto the large amount of space required. Such costs are ultimately passedon to the purchaser.

As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a sports truck rackthat may be assembled from a set of components such that the sportstruck rack may be shipped in pieces and re-assembled by the ultimatepurchaser. Also, there exists a need in the art for a sports truck rackthat is easily adaptable for mounting to a wide variety of truck beds ofvarying geometry. In addition, there exists a need in the art for atruck sports rack that can be readily mounted to a wide variety ofpickup trucks using only a few types of mounting mechanisms.Furthermore, there exists a need in the art for a truck sports rack thatis lightweight and strong such that minimal effort is required to mountand demount the rack while the rack can support heavy weight. Finally,there exists a need in the art for a truck sports rack that is of simpleconstruction with a relatively small number of components such that theoverall cost of the truck sports rack may be minimized.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a truck sports rack that can be easilydissembled in pieces for shipment and re-assembled such that it may bemounted on a truck. The sports rack is assembled of a plurality oflightweight, standardized components wherein the sports rack is ofmodular construction such that it may be easily adapted to fit a widevariety of truck beds. In addition, such modularity lowers the overallcost of the sports rack and enhances its transportability andstorability. The sports rack comprises a pair of frame members and aplurality of channel lengths extending horizontally between the framemembers. Each of the frame members and the channel lengths is perforatedwith a plurality of lightening holes for hanging or securing variousobjects. The lightening holes further reduces the overall weight of thesports rack such that mounting and demounting of the sports rack may bereadily facilitated with minimal effort.

The sports rack comprises a pair of frame members and a plurality ofelongate channel lengths extending between the frame members. Truck bedsof many trucks typically have a front wall, a rear tail gate, and a pairof elongate side walls extending therebetween with a bed rail extendingabout a perimeter of the truck bed. The frame members may be configuredas two substantially vertically disposed frame members that arerespectively secured to the side walls of the truck bed. The channellengths and the frame members are configured as horizontal members witha generally shallow U-shaped cross section to increase stiffness andrigidity of the channel lengths. The lightening holes may be formed ineach one of the channel lengths and the frame members in order to reducethe overall weight of the sports rack.

Modularity of the sports rack is provided by the channel lengths whichmay be sized (i.e., provided in varying lengths) to be compatible with aspecific truck bed geometry (i.e. truck bed length). The frame membersspan across the truck bed so as to be generally parallel with the frontwall and rear tail gate. Each one of the frame members comprises a pairof uprights, a pair of corner pieces and a cross channel. The cornerpieces interconnect the cross channel to the uprights such that each oneof the frame assemblies exhibits a generally trapezoidally-shapedconfiguration. Modularity of the sports rack is also provided by thecross channels which may also be sized to be compatible with a specifictruck bed geometry (i.e. truck bed width).

The frame members and the channel lengths may be fabricated from anymaterial such as metal including aluminum, steel or stainless steel.However, other materials such as graphite composite materials andpolymeric material (i.e., plastics) may also be used. The sports rackmay comprise a pair of accessory brackets secured to each of the crosschannels. A roller bar may be supported by the accessory brackets suchthat the sports rack may be used to transport various items such assporting goods and construction equipment.

Each of the uprights, the cross channels, and the channel lengths isconfigured as a substantially flat elongate panel having side flangesextending from opposing edges to form a shallow U-shaped configuration.The corner pieces may be provided in a curved configuration in order toprovide a smooth load path between the uprights and the cross channelsas well as to improve the overall aesthetics of the sports rack. Endplates on each end of the corner pieces may include corner piece endplate holes. Each of the uprights and the cross channels also include apair of end plates at opposing ends with holes formed therethrough.Mechanical fasteners may be extended through the holes in order tointerconnect the cross channels, corner pieces and uprights.

Many pickup trucks typically feature stake holes formed through topsurfaces of the bed rails. The sports rack of the present inventionexploits this feature by providing a stake mount extending downwardlyfrom the end plate of each one of the uprights. By simply inserting thestake mount into a corresponding one of the stake holes, the sports rackmay be mounted to the truck. In an additional mechanism for mounting thesports rack, a C-shaped bracket may be used to clamp the upright endplates to the bed rail. The bracket may include a lower clamp member andan upper clamp member which may be bolted together using a bolt or screwthat passes through the upper clamp member and which is threadablyengaged to a threaded hole in the lower clamp member. Clamping of theupright end plate and bed rail between the upper and lower clamp membersmay be performed by tightening the bolt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These, as well as other features of the present invention, will becomeapparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a truck sports rack of the presentinvention illustrating the interconnectivity of channel lengths,uprights, corner pieces and cross channels that make up the rack;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the sports rack;

FIG. 3 is a rear/front view of the sports rack;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the sports rack;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the sports rack;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of the corner pieces of the sportsrack;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the sports truckrack illustrating a connection between one of the channel lengths, oneof the uprights and one of the corner pieces;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the sports rack as installed on a truckbed of a truck;

FIG. 9 illustrates the upright having a stake mount bolted thereto;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a rail mount as may used for mountingthe sports rack to a bed rail of the truck bed; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a C-shaped bracket having upper andlower clamp members for clamping the rack to the bed rail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a sports rack 10 for a truck 100 such asa pickup truck 100 as shown in FIG. 8. As will become apparent in thedescription that follows, the rack has a modular construction allowingits fitment to a wide variety of trucks 100 having truck beds 102 ofvarying geometry. Furthermore, the rack is relatively lightweight suchthat it may be easily assembled, mounted on and demounted from the truck100. The truck bed 102 may have a front wall 104, a rear tail gate 108,and a pair of elongate side walls 106 extending therebetween. The frontwall 104 and side walls 106 may each include a bed rail 110 extendingalong a perimeter of the truck bed 102. The sports rack 10 may bemounted on the side bed rails 110 of the pickup truck 100 by variousmechanisms that will be described in detail below.

The sports rack 10 comprises a pair of frame members 14 and a pluralityof elongate channel lengths 12 extending between the frame members 14.The frame members 14 may be configured as two parallel substantiallyvertically disposed frame members 14 including a front frame member 14 aand a rear frame member 14 b. The front frame member may be disposedupon and removably secured to the side bed rails 110 of the truck bed102. The rear frame member 14 b may similarly be disposed upon andremovably secured to the side bed rails 110 although the frame members14 may be disposed anywhere along the truck bed 102. The channel lengths12 are configured as horizontal members with a generally shallowU-shaped cross section to increase stiffness and rigidity of the channellengths 12. Likewise, the frame members 14 may also be configured with agenerally shallow U-shaped cross section.

Importantly, a plurality of lightening holes 30 may be formed in eachone of the channel lengths 12 and the frame members 14 in order toreduce the overall weight of the sports rack 10. The channel lengths 12may be disposed to extend in a direction generally parallel to the sidewalls 106 of the truck bed 102. Modularity of the sports rack 10 isprovided by the channel lengths 12 which may be sized to be compatiblewith specific truck bed 102 geometry (i.e. length). The frame members 14may be disposed to span across the truck bed 102 so as to be generallyparallel with the front wall 104 and rear tail gate 108. As shown inFIG. 1, each of the frame members 14 comprises a pair of uprights 16, apair of corner pieces 20 and a cross channel 18. The corner pieces 20interconnect the cross channel 18 to the uprights 16 such that each oneof the frame assemblies exhibits a generally arch-shaped ortrapezoidally-shaped configuration. Modularity of the sports rack 10 isalso provided by the cross channels 18 which may also be sized to becompatible with specific truck bed 102 geometry (i.e. width).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the channel lengths 12 include fourside channel lengths 12 a and two top channel lengths 12 b. Morespecifically, each one of opposing sides of the sports rack 10 includestwo side channel lengths 12 a extending between the uprights 16. A topof the sports rack 10 includes two top channel lengths 12 b extendingbetween the cross channels 18. It will be appreciated that the quantityof the channel lengths 12 may be altered according to specificrequirements without exceeding the spirit or scope of the presentinvention. For example, the sports rack 10 may include only one of theside channel lengths 12 a at each one of opposing sides of the sportsrack 10. The sports rack 10 may also include only two of the top channellengths 12 b.

Preferably, the frame members 14 and the channel lengths 12 arefabricated from metal such as aluminum, steel or stainless steel.However, other materials such as graphite composite materials andpolymeric material (i.e., plastics) may also be used for fabricating theframe members 14 and the channel lengths 12. To avoid the risk of harmto persons and/or property, all of the frame members 14 and all of thechannel lengths 12 may be fully radiused in order to remove otherwisesharp edges. The sports rack 10 further may comprise a pair of accessorybrackets 600 secured to or formed with each of the cross channels 18. Aroller bar 602 having two ends may be supported by the accessorybrackets 600. The roller bar 602 may be used to transport sporting itemssuch as kayaks, surfboards, windsurfers and canoes. The roller bar 602may also be used to transport construction equipment such as ladders,scaffolding, lumber and piping. The apertures 30 may additionally beused to mount various accessories.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are, respectively, the side view, rear/front view,top view and bottom view of the sports rack 10. Each of the uprights 16,the cross channels 18, and the channel lengths 12 is configured as asubstantially flat elongate panel with two side flanges extending fromopposing edges of the panel to form the above-mentioned shallow U-shapedconfiguration. The elongate panel is perforated with a plurality of thelightening holes 30 to reduce weight. In addition, the lightening holes30 provide attachment points from which various objects may be hung orsecured. Preferably, the frame member 14 width is greater than that ofthe channel lengths 12 in order to provide sufficient support thereof.Because the width of the frame members 14 is greater than that of thechannel lengths 12, the lightening holes 30 formed on the frame members14 may be sized to be proportionally larger than those formed on thechannel lengths 12 in this embodiment. However, it is contemplated thatthe lightening holes 30 may be provided in any number of shapes andsizes.

As shown in FIG. 2, opposing ends of each one of the side channellengths 12 a may be connected to the sides of corresponding ones of theuprights 16. Ends one of the top channel lengths 12 b may be connectedto the sides of the cross channels 18, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.Referring to FIG. 3 which illustrates the front/rear view of the sportrack 10, upper ends of the uprights 16 are generally inclined towardseach other in order to form the generally arch shape or trapezoidalshape of the frame members 14 wherein tops of the frame members 14 aresized to be generally narrower than bottoms of the frame members 14.

As mentioned above, the corner pieces 20 are used to interconnect thecross channel 18 to the uprights 16. FIG. 6 shows a perspective view ofa corner piece 20. As shown, the corner piece 20 is preferably curved toprovide a smooth load path between the uprights 16 and the crosschannels 18. In addition, the curved configuration of the corner piece20 may improve the overall aesthetics of the sports rack 10. In theembodiment shown FIG. 6, the corner piece 20 includes an end plate 400at each end thereof. Each end plate 400 is perforated with at least onecorner piece end plate hole 402. It will be appreciated that differentconfigurations can also be applied to the corner pieces 20 withoutexceeding the scope or spirit of the present invention. For example,each of the corner pieces 20 may comprises a plurality of curved bars ortubing terminating in perforated end plates.

Similar to the corner pieces 20, each of the uprights 16 and the crosschannels 18 also comprise a pair of end plates at opposing ends thereof.In this manner, the uprights 16 and the cross channels 18 may be boltedtogether to form the frame members 14 as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 alsoshows the connection between one of the uprights 16 and one of the sidechannel lengths 12 a. As shown, each end of the side channel length 12 aalso comprises an end plate perforated with two holes, while acorresponding side panel of the upright 16 is also perforated with atleast two holes aligned with the holes of the end plate of the sidechannel length 12 a such that the side channel length 12 a may be boltedto the upright 16. It should be noted that the uprights 16 may beconnected to the cross channels 18 by any suitable means including, butnot limited to, a combination of bolts and nuts, or a combination ofbolts that engage threaded bosses that are fastened to the corner pieces20.

Various types of mounting mechanisms can be applied to mount the sportsrack 10 to the truck 100. Many pickup trucks typically include thefeature of stake holes formed through top surfaces of the bed rails 110.Taking advantage of this feature, a simple mounting mechanism can beprovided for mounting the sport rack 10 to the bed rails 110. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 9, a stake mount 210 is bolted to the endplate 200 of each one of the uprights 16. By simply inserting the stakemount 210 into a corresponding one of the stake holes formed in the bedrail 110, the sports rack 10 may be mounted to the truck 100 as shown inFIG. 8 with minimal use of installation tools or fastening hardware. Asshown in FIG. 8, the sports rack 10 may be mounted to the truck 100 withthe frame members 14 located adjacent the front wall 104 and the reartail gate 108 of the truck bed 102. The side channel lengths 12 b aregenerally positioned over the side walls 106 of the truck bed 102. Whenthe sports rack 10 is mounted over the truck bed 102 as shown in FIG. 8,a canopy or tent may be applied thereon in order to further secure goodsor cargo carried in the truck bed 102 as well as to provide some degreeof protection from the elements of weather.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate an additional mechanism for mounting thesports rack 10 to the truck 100. As shown, upright end plates 200 ofeach one of the uprights 16 may be placed on the top surfaces of the bedrails 110. The upright end plate 200 may further includes a flange orlip 202 projecting generally outwardly and generally perpendicularlyfrom the upright end plate 200. Such lip 202 may provide additionalstiffness to the upright end plate 200. The lip 202 may extendcontinuously along the upright end plate 200. Preferably, a rubbergasket 204 may be interposed between each one of the upright end plates200 and the bed rails 110 to act as an interface between the upright endplate 200 and the bed rail 110. In this regard, the rubber gaskets 204may prevent rubbing of the bed rails 110 which would otherwise abrade orscrape the bed rail 110 finish (i.e. paint). When the upright end plates200 are positioned on the bed rail 110, a C-shaped bracket 206 may beused to clamp the upright end plate 200 to the bed rail 110.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the C-shaped bracket 206 may include alower clamp member 206 a and an upper clamp member 206 b which may bebolted together using a bolt or screw that passes through the upperclamp member 206 b and which is threadably engaged to a threaded hole inthe lower clamp member 206 a. Clamping of the upright end plate 200 andbed rail 110 between the upper and lower clamp members 206 a may beperformed by tightening the bolt in order to cause relative axialmovement between the upper and lower clamp members 206 a. Compressiveforce is thereby applied to sandwich the upright end plate 200 to thebed rails 110 to prevent axial movement of the sports rack 10 relativeto the truck bed 102 while frictional forces prevent lateral movementthereof.

Alternatively, mounting of the sports rack 10 to the truck bed 102 maybe achieved by including upright end plate holes 208 in each one of theupright end plates 200. FIG. 10 shows the upright end plate 200 of eachone of the uprights end plate 202 being perforated with four of theupright end plate holes 208. The top surface of the bed rail 110 may bedrilled to provide plural holes formed therethrough and positionedcomplementary to the upright end plate holes 208. In this manner, thesports rack 10 may be positioned such that the upright end plate holes208 may be aligned with the holes formed through the top surface of thebed rail 110. Mechanical fasteners may then be used to secure the sportsrack 10 to the bed rail 110 of the truck 100.

This description of the various embodiments of the present invention ispresented to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, and other inventive concepts may be otherwise variouslyembodied and employed. The appended claims are intended to be construedto include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.

1. A sports rack, comprising: a pair of frame members each including: apair of uprights; a cross channel; and a pair of corner pieces adaptedto interconnect the pair of uprights to the cross channel; wherein theuprights, cross channels and corner pieces each have a pair of endplates disposed at opposing ends thereof, the end plates being orientedto be placed in abutting contact with one another when the uprights,cross channels and corner pieces are adapted to be mounted to eachother; and a plurality of channel lengths adapted to be removablyconnected to the frame members and extending horizontally therebetween;wherein each one of the frame members and channel lengths is perforatedwith a plurality of lightening holes.
 2. The sports rack of claim 1,wherein the frame members are configured as two vertically disposedparallel frame members.
 3. The sports rack of claim 1, wherein: thesports rack is configured to be mounted on a truck bed having a pair ofspaced side walls extending between a front wall and a rear tail gate;one of the frame members of the pair being positioned adjacent the frontwall; the other one of the frame members of the pair being positionedadjacent the rear tail gate.
 4. The sports rack of claim 1, wherein:each one of the corner pieces is arch-shaped; upper ends of the uprightsbeing inclined towards each other.
 5. The sports rack of claim 1,wherein the channel lengths further comprise: at least one side channellength extending horizontally between the uprights at sides of the framemembers; and at least one top channel length extending horizontallybetween the cross channels of the frame members.
 6. The sports rack ofclaim 1, wherein the corner pieces are fabricated from metal, plastic orgraphite.
 7. The sports rack of claim 1, wherein each of the channellengths has two opposing ends, each one of the ends being adapted to bemounted to the frame members.
 8. The sports rack of claim 1, whereineach of the frame members includes a pair of stake mounts extendingdownwardly therefrom.
 9. The sports rack of claim 8, wherein the stakemount is configured to be inserted into stake mount holes formed in theside walls.
 10. The sports rack of claim 3, wherein each of the uprightsfurther comprises: at least one upright end plate being disposed at alower end of the upright; a lip protruding perpendicularly from theupright end plate; and a pair of C-shaped brackets extending over thelip and configured to clamp the upright end plate to one of the sidewalls.
 11. The sports rack of claim 10, wherein each one of the C-shapedbrackets includes a lower clamp member and an upper clamp member adaptedto be mounted to each other.
 12. The sports rack of claim 10, wherein arelative position between the lower clamp member and the upper clampmember is adjustable such that the side wall and the upright may becaptured between the lower and upper clamp members.
 13. The sports rackof claim 1, wherein each of the frame members further comprises a pairof upright end plates having at least one upright end plate hole adaptedto be mounted to the frame member to an upper surface of the side wall.14. The sports rack of claim 1, wherein each of the frame membersfurther comprises a pair of accessory brackets mounted thereon in spacedrelation to one another.
 15. The sports rack of claim 14, wherein eachof the frame members further comprises a roller bar extending betweenthe pair of accessory brackets.
 16. The sports rack of claim 1, whereinthe frame members and the channel lengths are fabricated of metal. 17.The sports rack of claim 1, wherein the frame members and the channellengths are fabricated of aluminum, steel, stainless steel or graphite.18. A sports rack configured to be mounted on a truck bed having a frontwall, a rear tail gate and a pair of elongate side walls extendingtherebetween, each one of the side walls having a bed rail, the sportsrack comprising: a front frame member disposed over the front wall andextending between the elongate side walls; a rear frame member disposedover the rear tail gate and extending between the elongate side walls;and a plurality of channel lengths extending horizontally between thefront and rear frame members; wherein each of the front and rear framemembers comprises: a pair of uprights each having a pair of upright endplates adapted to be mounted on each one of the bed rails; a crosschannel; and a pair of corner pieces adapted to be mounted to the pairof uprights to the cross channel; wherein the uprights, cross channelsand corner pieces each have a pair of end plates disposed at opposingends thereof, the end plates being oriented to be placed in abuttingcontact with one another when the uprights, cross channels and cornerpieces are mounted to each other.
 19. The sports rack of claim 18,wherein: each of the front and rear frame members comprises a pair ofstake mounts extending downwardly therefrom; the stake mounts beingconfigured to be inserted into stake mount holes formed in the bedrails.
 20. The sports rack of claim 18, further comprising: a pluralityof C-shaped brackets; a lip protruding perpendicularly from a lowermostone of each of the upright end plates; and wherein each one of theC-shaped brackets is adapted to be extended over the lip and configuredto clamp the upright end plates to the bed rails.
 21. The sports rack ofclaim 18, further comprising at least one rubber gasket interposedbetween the upright end plates and the bed rail.
 22. The sports rack ofclaim 18, wherein each of the upright end plates are perforated with atleast one upright end plate hole, the elongate side walls including aplurality of holes positioned complementary to each of the upright endplate holes and being formed through upper surfaces of the bed rail andadopted to be mounted to the upright end plates.
 23. The sports rack ofclaim 18, wherein the channel lengths extend between and are adapted tobe mounted to sides of the front and rear frame members.
 24. The sportsrack of claim 18, wherein a canopy is adapted to be mounted over thefront frame member, rear frame member, and channel lengths.
 25. A sportsrack configured to be mounted on a truck bed having a front wall, a reartail gate and a pair of elongate side walls extending therebetween, eachone of the side walls having a bed rail, the sports rack comprising: afront frame member adapted to be mounted over the front wall andextending between the elongate side walls; a rear frame member adaptedto be mounted over the rear tail gate and extending between the elongateside walls; and a plurality of channel lengths extending horizontallybetween the front and rear frame members; wherein each of the front andrear frame members comprises: a pair of uprights each having a pair ofupright end plates oriented to be flush-mounted upon each one of the bedrails; a cross channel; and a pair of arch-shaped corner piecesinterconnecting the pair of uprights to the cross channel; the uprights,cross channels and corner pieces each having a pair of end plates atopposing ends thereof, the end plates being oriented to be placed inabutting contact with one another when the upright, cross channels andcorner pieces are adapted to be mounted, the uprights, cross channelsand corner pieces having matching U-shaped cross sectionalconfigurations.
 26. The sports rack of claim 25, wherein a canopy isadapted to be mounted over the front frame member, rear frame member,and channel lengths.